Bottling machines



L. C. SNELLING BOTTLING MACHINES Jan. 27, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 20, 1956 Inventor ALEONARD C. SNELLING By WM, Attorney;

Jan. 27, i959 L. C. SNELLING BOTTLING MACHINES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 f 7 EE, s 8

Filed Feb. 20, 1956 f, Inventar LEONARD c.

6 By SNELL IN www, /a-uaab Attorney.;

BOTTLING MACHINES LeonardCharles Snelling, Whyteleaie, England Application Februaryv 20,`1 955,;SerialyNo. 566,699 Claims. (Cpl. 141-43) The present invention relates to a filling device for use in bottling machines which expression includes machines for filling like containers. In my-co-pending patent application Serial No. 454,502, now- Patent No.2,813-,553 issued Nov. 19, 1957, there is described a construction for a lling device for use in a bottling machine in which tilling is effected by the application of gaseous counterpressure.

The construction of the therein described iilling device is utilised to dispense a measured quantity of liquid into a bottle. The liquidflows into a container of known volume from a surrounding holder when a valve in the device is shut, and when. the valve is open to allow liquid to ilow out into a bottle, the container is sealed o from the liquid in the surrounding holder. In this construction also, tubes extend upwardly out of the container. One tube is movable andV is employed both for applying gaseous counter-pressure to a bottle before filling commences and for delivering` liquid to the bottle and the other is a vent tube extending up into the gas space lat the top ofthe holder to permit gas, to enter and leave the container with the outfiowand infiow of liquid. The container also acts as a mounting for a support for a pad which serves 'to seal the movable counter-pressure tube, when it is at its bottom position.

It is an object of the present invention to modify the existing construction so as to make it more simple to manufacture. Broadly this is achieved by combining the vent tube and the pad support, so. that the vent tube serves both purposes. Preferably the vent tube is made co-aXialy with the moving tube, as this permits the simplication of the valve employed for closing the counterpressure tube and obviates the need for a gland at the top of the container.

lt is 'a further object of the invention to provide a construction for a filling device for use in bottling machines in which the filling device is adapted to dispense a predetermined quantity of liquid and is provided with means tor varying the quantity of liquid to be dispensed in each tilling operation.

One construction made in accordance with the present invention is hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure l is a longitudinaly section of one form of filling device,

Figure 2 is a detail showing the construction ofI the container valve mechanism,

Figure 3 is a detail of an alternative construction of the Container Valve mechanism, and.

Figure 4 is apart section o fa rnolified` construction of valve tube mechanism complete with guide bell.

he construction ot the filling device is basically the same as that shown in @zo-pending patent application Serial No. 454,502 and operates on substantially the same basic principles. t

The filling device is mounted in the bottom wall of a holden lr containing liquid up to a level 2 and having a top gas space 3, which may contain air or gas at atmospheric or super-atmospheric pressure.

The lling device issecured to the holder 1 by means of a stationary mounting member 4. An open topped container member 5 is secured to the, member 4 4and extends above the liquid level in thek holder. A spider member 6 is secured in the container 5 fairly, nearv the bottom and supports a` stationary tube 7, which acts as a combined vent tube and support for a` cup member 9 which carriesa sealing washerv 10. 'i

The stationary member 4 alsor serves as a mounting for a movingiilling tube comprising a member,V llvwhich has a close sliding fit in the member 4, an upper tube 12 and a lower tube 14.

The member 1l; is provided withv a port 15 and exterior sealing rings i6. rIhe litv between` the member 4. and the.

member 11is such that no', substantial quantity of liquid can pass fromv the interior of the` container 5 to the port y15 when the members are in the rest position of the lling tube,y shown` in Figure l. When the filling tube is moved upwardly, the port. 15 is brought into register with the in.- terior of the container 5y an, away through thel lower tube 14.

Alternative forms of a, valve can be utilised in place of the port 15 without departing l the invention. The essential featureis that suchvalve should open and closey in response to the longitudinal movement of the fillingv tube and be positioned somewhere between the container and the lower extremity'of the tube 14.

A by-pass tube 17 is positioned inside the moving. filling tube and extends upwardlyy from an orifice 17 to ya point inthe tube l2 above the level of liquid in the holder. `In the rest position the by-pass tube 17 is sealed off vfromA the gas space 3 by'mneans of a cap-piece 18, secured to the top end of the tubef12, although thefcap-pie'ce is provided with a` very small passage19, controlled by a needlemember 20,v through which averysmall Vflow of gas can be arranged to bleed, if desired. The'cap-piece 18 is provided with a series of inlet apertures 21 arranged between the concentric ribs 22 and 23. The ribs 22 and 23 normally abu'tin sealed relationship against the washer 10, butl when displacedv therefrom by upward movement of the moving filling tube, gas is admitted through the apertures 21 from the space 3 .and this permits the gas pressure at the orifice 17 to be balanced by the gas pressure in the gas space 3.

The filling tube is normally held in the position shown in Figure l byy virtue of the action of a heavy duty spring 231y on a collar 24 secured to the foot of the member 1l.

in addition to the inlet valve formed by the port 15, the filling tube is provided with a drip-preventing outlet valve atthe foot of the tube 14, since in lpractice it `is important to prevent the bottling machine from being fouled by drops of liquid falling from the filling tube in the intervals between successive filling operations. i

The drip-preventing outlet valve comprises a pear valve member 25, adapted to seal against a conical seat 426 formed at the end of the tube 14, secured to a wire 27, which depends from a rod 2.8, slidably mounted in the cap-piece 13. The rod 2S, which is sealed by means of an O-ring 29, is provided with an enlarged top member 3i?, which serves as an abutment for a spring 31. This keeps the pear valve member 25 in contact with its seat 26 until the upward movement of the iilling tube brings the member Sit in Contact with a stationary member, such as a stirrup 32 orA the top of the. holder itself, which unseats the valve and permits liquid to fiow'out of the tube 14.

A principal feature of the filling device lies in the provision of aslid'able plate 34, which is providedV with G-rings 35 and 36, positioned so as to form a liquid lseal L. a Patentekddan. 2,7,

df the contents can then run V from the principles ofbetween the plate and the sides of the container 5 and of the tube 7. The plate 34 is movable vertically to increase or reduce the space which liquid can occupy within the container 5, by means of a pair of rods 37, -secured to a ring 38, intended for manual operation. The rods 37 are sealed in the mounting member 4 by means of O-rings 39.

The top of the variable space defined within the container 5 by the plate 34 is vented through an aperture 40 and a fiexible tube 41 into the top of the tube 7, which is itself vented into the gas space 3 through apertures 42. The volume of the space occupied by liquid inside `the container 5 is equal to the space beneath the level of the plate 34 plus the space between the tubes 7 and 12 up to the liquid level 2 and this is a substantial measure of the liquid dispensed in each operation of the device. In order to set the filling device for dispensing a predetermined quantity ot liquid in each operation from the container 5, the plate 34 is moved vertically by moving rods v37 until a mark on the ring 3S registers with an appropriate mark on a vertical calibrated scale (not shown) secured to the stationary member 4.

The filling device is completed by a collapsible guide bell of the type described in co-pending patent application Serial No. 454,502. The guide bell is supported by wires 50 from an abutment collar 50, secured to the tube 14. The guide bell comprises a top member 51 carrying a sealing washer 52 and secured to a cylinder member 53.v A piston member 54, carrying an 0-ring 55, moves inside the cylinder 53 and fits quite loosely around the tube 14, so that gas can pass quite freely between the piston and the tube. The piston 54 is urged away from the cylinder by a weak spring 56.

The piston 54 supports a cup member 57, which carries a conical sealing washer 58, which is adapted to abut in sealing relationship against the mouth of the bottle.

In use in a bottle filling machine, a bottle to be filled is brought into register with the filling device and the bottle and the filling device are moved axially towards each other, either by upward movement of the table upon which the bottle is supported Vor by downward movement of the holder in which the filling device Iis secured.

The mouth of the bottle first abuts against the washer 58 and the bell starts to slide up the tube 14 until the washer 52 comes into contact with the abutment collar Si). Further upward movement of the bottle causes the bell to collapse the spring 56, thus bringing the piston 54 up against the member 51. In this position the orifice 17 is about 3/1 inside the neck of the bottle and the contact between the bottle and the washer 58 on the one hand and between the washer 52 and the abutment collar 50 effectively seals off the bottle from the atmosphere.

Further upward movement of the bottle starts the upward movement of the filling tube, immediately breaking the seal between the washer and the ribs 22 and 23,` thus admitting counter pressure gas from the gas space 3 to the bottle.

At the next stage in the upward movement of the bottle the member 30 contacts the stirrup member 32, thus displacing the pear valve 25 from its seat 26 and opening the bottom end of the filling tube to permit liquid to empty out of it. Further upward movement of the bottle first closes the container valve, shown diagrammatically at 60, and almost uncovers the port to permiL the liquid to tiow out of the container 5. A bottling machine incorporating the filling device is arranged to provide a dwell period at this point sulhcient to permit the outflow of all the liquid from the container 5, which flows out into the bottle under gravity. The liquid, which flows out of the container 5, is replaced by gas, which enters the aperture 42 in the tube 7 and passes into the c ontainer 5 by way of the tube 7 orfthe flexible tube 41. Simultaneously the gas in the bottle is displaced up the by-pass tube 17 in the gas space 3. v

As the bottle moves away from the holder, the sequence of valve operation is reversed. First the port 15 is closed as the member 11 moves downwardly into the mounting member 4 under the inuence of the spring 23.

Next the valve 60 opens to permit liquid to flow into the container S and fill it before the next dispensing operation, the gas in the container 5 being displaced through the vent tubes 7 and 41. Further downward movement brings the ribs 21 and 22 back into contact with the sealing. washer 10, so that gas can no longer pass from the gas space 3 into the bottle. The collapsible guide bell then re-expands, the piston 54 moving away from the top member 51 under the combined influence of the spring 56 and the gas pressure in the bottle. As already explained in patent application Serial No. 454,502, the' operation of the guide bell has the effect of reducing the gaseous pressure in the bottle neck gradually, so that when the washer 52 separates from the abutment collar 5t?, there is little frothing as compared to the situation when there is a sudden drop in pressure.

One advantage arising from putting the aperture 17 2ML" inside the neck of the bottle is,that should a partially filled bottle be fed accidentally into the machine, the flow of liquid from the container will automatically stop when the liquid level reaches the by-pass aperture 17.

The container valve 60 may have various different forms, provided that it opens and closes` at a predeter- \^mined point in the longitudinal movemeiit of the lling tube.

One form of valve mechanism is shown in Figure 2. The valve comprises a p ivotedy member 61 adapted to cover and uncover an aperture in a fiat plate 62, secured to the wall of the container 5. The member 62 is pivoted at 63 and is weighted so that it normally falls to an open position. Its movement is controlled by a leaf spring member 64 attached to the valve tube 12. As the tube 12 is pushed upwardly, the end of the spring leaf 64 first engages against an inclined surface 65 on the member 61 and then rides along the vertical surface 66 when the valve is closed, as shown in Figure 2.

As the tube 12 descends the leaf 64 strikes a tail part 67 of the member 61 and thus positively opens the valve, the member 61 remaining in the open position until pushed up against the at plate 62 bythe leaf spring 64.

Another form of valve mechanism is shown in Figure 3. 1n this example the liquid enters the container 5 through an elbow pipe 70, the bottom end of which is ground fiat so as to form a seat for engagement with a valve plate 71, which is slidably mounted around the tube 12. The plate 71 is normally held against a stop 73 by means of a spring 74, so that it engages against the pipe after a predetermined rise of the tube 12 to stop further ow of liquid into the container and remains in sealed relation with the pipe 70 during further upward movement of the tube 12, which compresses the spring 74.

In both forms of the container valve mechanism the opening and closing of the valve is timed so that it is either completely closed before the port 1S is uncovered or else is arranged so that port 15 is partially uncovered before the container valve is completely closed. This slight overlap does not perceptibly affect the quantity of liquid dispensed in each operation and a proper allowance for this factor can be made by proper calibration of the lling device. The advantage of having a position in which both valves are partially open at the same time is that it permits steam or cleansing uid to be blown upwards through the filling tube for cleaning at the end of the day.

In Figure 4 there is shown a modified construction of a mechanism for controlling the operation of the pear valve 25.

In this construction the lower valve tube 14 is made in two parts 14a and 14b. The tube 17 is secured only. to the tube 14a and is free to move longitudinally in relation to the upper part of the filling tube. The pear valve member g5 is suspended by a rod 27' from a at plate assures 80, which is apertured to permit the passage of liquid and to provide room for the by-pass tube 17.

The plate 80 is trapped between a threaded member 81 secured to the tube 14b and a threaded member 82 secured to the member 81. The member S2 has a downwardly extending portion 83, which is provided with a bore, Iin which a member 84, fitted with O-rings 85, is longitudinally movable. The tube 14a is secured to the member 84 and the tubes 14a and 14b are normally urged apart by means of a spring 86 located between an abutment collar 87 and the member 82, to keep the pear valve 25 in contact with its seat.

The collapsible guide bell is slidingly suspended on rods from a anged member 88, secured to the member 82 and operates in a manner similar to the construction shown n Figure 1.

In operation, on initial upward movement the washer 58 of the guide bell abuts the collar 87. After the collapse of the guide bell, the spring 23 collapses, followed by the spring 86 so that in this construction the pear valve member 25 is the last valve to open and the rst valve to close at the commencement of the downward movement of the lling tube.

I claim:

1. In a bottling machine having a liquid holder, a lling device comprising in combination a stationary mounting member secured in the base of the liquid holder, a filling tube for insertion into the mouth of a bottle and longitudinally slidable in said mounting member, an abutment on said lling tube, a sealing means around said lling tube between the end thereof and said abutment for placing against the mouth of a bottle, a stationary vent tube surrounding the filling tube and extending upwardly to a level above the liquid level in the holder, said lling tube having an orifice n the end thereof near said abutment, a gaseous by-pass tube arranged within the lling tube and extending upwardly from the orifice to a level above the liquid level in the holder, a container within the liquid holder arranged around said vent tube, valve means between the top of the' vent tube and the lling tube for connecting said by-pass tube with the gas space in the top of the holder on an initial upward movement of the lling tube, a second valve means between the container and the liquid spacein the holder, and a third valve means between the container and the filling tube, said second and third valve means opening and closing in response to the movement of the filling tube, said second valve means between the container and the liquid space being timed to close not later than just after the commencement of the opening of the third valve means between the container and the filling tube.

2. The combination as claimed in claim l wherein the valve means between the container and the filling tube comprises a member forming part of the filling tube and arranged as a closed sliding t in the stationary mounting member, said sliding member having a port aperture therein normally obscured in said mounting member, but exposed to the liquid in the container after a predetermined upward movement of the filling tube.

3. The combination as claimed in claim 1 wherein the container extends above liquid level in the holder, a longitudinally slidable plate being arranged in sealed relation between the container and the vent tube to determine the effective volume of the container, said slidable plate having an aperture therein, an auxiliary liexible vent tube connecting the aperture in the slidable plate with the interior of the vent tube at a point above the liquid level in the holder.

4. The combination as claimed in claim 3 and at least one rod, extending through the stationary mounting member and slidable therein to which the slidable plate is secured to permit longitudinal adjustment of the plate for variation of the volume of the liquid space within the container.

5. The combination as claimed in claim 2 further including a valve member for closing the lower end of the filling tube to prevent drips therefrom, a length of substantially inextensible material extending lengthwise of the lilling tube from which said valve member is suspended, and a member on the other end of said filling tube movable towards the lower end of the tube upon upward movement of the filling tube.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 948,463 Strasburger Feb. 8, 1910 

